Deland City Manager Urges Study Of Library Needs

July 3, 1985|By David Karpook of The Sentinel Staff

DELAND — The city should start collecting data within the next month on such things as the most common means of transportation people use to travel to the public library, how frequently they use the library and what types of materials they look for, City Manager Scott Rohlfs said this week.

The information is for a comprehensive study of the area's library needs, which city commissioners hope to use to convince the county council to locate a large regional library near downtown DeLand rather than at the new West Volusia Center of Daytona Beach Community College east of town.

Rohlfs told commissioners that information should be gathered as quickly as possible so that the city does not hold up the county's discussions with college officials. He gave commissioners a preliminary outline of his plans for the study.

Commissioners scheduled a workshop for July 30 to discuss the data.

College officials tentatively have offered to build a $2 million facility capable of serving 100,000 residents, that could be jointly used by the college and public library system. The college intends to build a library anyway but feels the building could be better used if it serves a dual purpose.

Many DeLand residents fear that if the regional facility is built outside the city, the downtown branch could suffer from neglect.

County council members have said the college campus is the only site they are considering for a west Volusia regional library. However, Mayor Wiley Nash said county council Chairman Jack Ascherl informally has agreed to honor a city request that no action be taken until the city's study is complete.

Rohlfs said he has contacted representatives from several groups that have offered to assist with the study. Much of the data would come from a survey of library users, he said.

Commissioner Robert Apgar suggested Monday that residents who want to make sure the library goes downtown should show up at the next county council meeting to make their wishes known.

About 150 residents turned out for a recent city workshop on the library issue, prompting commissioners to order the study of library needs.

In other action Monday, city commissioners:

-- Set a series of budget review workshops for four consecutive evenings beginning July 22.

-- Tentatively approved beer and wine sales at a pub to be opened at 1429-31 S. Woodland Blvd. A public hearing and final consideration will be Aug. 5.